Increasingly more firms are making premium wi-fi headphones as of late, from established gamers similar to Bowers & Wilkins and Focal (creators of the marvellous Bathys) to newer disruptors similar to Noble Audio, the oldsters behind the Fokus Apollo set I’ve right here. These are a £589/$649 set of wi-fi noise-cancelling headphones that marks the model’s first transfer into over-ear designs, with an uncommon hybrid method that mixes conventional dynamic drivers and extra fashionable planar magnetic drivers.
As a fast refresher, dynamic drivers have been utilized in audio system and headphones for the very best a part of a century. Primarily, they are a magnet with two wires related, inside a paper cone diaphragm. Electrical present causes the paper to vibrate at particular frequencies, thereby reproducing sound. By comparability, planar magnetic headphones droop the diaphragm materials between magnetic fields. Dynamic drivers are inclined to deal with low-end frequencies higher, whereas planar magnetic drivers have a tendency to supply extra exact and well-rounded sound within the mid-range and treble.
The Fokus Apollo takes each of those items of tech and bundles them in a single set of headphones, with a 14.5mm planar magnetic hybrid driver and a 40mm dynamic driver. The dynamic driver handles the low-end, whereas the smaller planar magnetic is there for the mids and highs, theoretically combining to provide the better of each worlds.
That fusion gives actually elegant outcomes throughout the spectrum. The highest finish is crisp and lovely, with an exquisite sparkle and precision with the fixed bell hits on Ralph MacDonald’s Calypso Breakdown and on the cruel cymbal work that goes all through The Strokes’ Coronary heart In A Cage. What’s extra, the competing percussion within the intro to Steely Dan’s Do It Once more stays luscious and detailed, the place it may be a minefield for some headphones.
The Fokus Apollo’s mid-range is wealthy, with marvellous dealing with of vocals and a clean presentation in all the pieces from lighter tracks similar to Caroline I See You From James Taylor and Jack Johnson’s Tape Deck, whereas even in busier songs similar to Gloria Estefan’s 1-2-3 or Get On Your Toes, it saved them central to the combination with an excellent presentation. Acoustic guitar inflections and the Latin-infused percussion have been additionally excellently dealt with.
It is maybe within the low-end the place these cans are most spectacular, with the hybrid method having the ability to extract extra element and meatiness than different cans I’ve examined. This went for all the pieces from the pounding synth bass in Earth, Wind & Fireplace’s Let’s Groove to the gritty breakdown in Rush’s YYZ and the In the meantime part in Steven Wilson’s Objects Outlive Us. The latter particularly got here by means of properly, earlier than the track strikes into lighter acoustic guitar and drum work, permitting the Fokus Apollo to stretch its legs within the mid-range.
The sense of width and depth with these cans can be fairly good, though not as broad and open-reaching because the open-back MM500, as a set of closed again cans. There’s a nice sense of placement with the sweeping drums in Rush’s YYZ, or the far-off guitar inflections within the Bee Gees’ Subway. A dwell model of Fish’s half hour Plague of Ghosts suite gave the Fokus Apollo fairly a exercise, leaning into my regular progressive rock tastes, with a track that wades by means of all the pieces from heavy and gritty guitar work to digital synth loops and distinguished keyboard notes that these headphones dealt with with panache.
The great directionality, mixed with that exact low finish, additionally helps these cans to work properly for cell gaming, too. I examined these at the side of my Honor Magic V3 and a few cell controllers in some streamed titles from Xbox Cloud Gaming, and was impressed with the depth of explosions and such in some playthroughs in GTA On-line, in addition to the meatiness and rumble of engine notes in Forza Horizon 5. For gaming use, you’re finest connecting them by USB-C, because it explicitly is designed for low-latency use. In any other case, the Fokus Apollo does not have a wi-fi means for it, in contrast to some extra reasonably priced headphones such because the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100.
Past their wonderful audio, the Fokus Apollo impresses with their wonderful match and end, with plush, mushy earpads and headband which might be supportive and assist these cans to be particularly comfy for prolonged intervals. I had no hassle utilizing them on some current short-haul flights and practice journeys, that is for positive. Additionally they include a number of adjustment throughout the scarf and earcup swivel to get an optimum match, whereas the actual fact you’ve got obtained correct bodily controls for quantity, ANC, energy and a microphone mute slider. The big exhausting case they arrive with is great too, with a material end and a helpful deal with for carrying round; inside, the Fokus Apollo lays flat, with cables saved in a slot within the center.
As well as, these headphones may also work by way of Bluetooth, or wired over 3.5mm or USB-C, with the normal headphone jack methodology not needing any lively energy, which could be very useful. The Bluetooth 5.3 connection can be secure, and labored properly whether or not I used to be alone in a practice carriage, or coping with crowds of individuals at St Pancras on the platform the place different headphones, together with my Bathys, generally is a little flaky at instances.
Additionally they help a variety of wi-fi codecs for high quality listening, together with AAC, SBC, aptx, aptX HD and the rarer LDAC. There’s app management with the devoted Noble Fokus app, though management right here is kind of primary. It offers you entry to turning the noise cancellation on or off, or allow the transparency mode, and also you get a 10-band EQ for configuring the sound profile to your tastes.
The lively noise cancellation right here is arguably higher than the Focal Bathys, doing an ideal job of blocking out most undesirable noise on these fairly busy and loud flights and practice journeys I’ve taken in the previous few weeks. It is just some higher-pitched noises that weren’t absolutely blocked out, similar to youngsters’s voices. The Fokus Apollo advantages from a extra pure transparency mode than the Bathys too, so whenever you need to hear what is going on round you, it is not artificial.
Battery life can be a powerful level, with the Fokus lasting for as much as 60 hours with the noise cancelling enabled or 80 hours with it off, making it one of many higher pairs for endurance than key rivals. Each the Bathys and the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 will solely final for as much as 30 hours.
This leaves me mightily impressed with the Noble Audio Fokus Apollo as a elegant set of premium cans that seemingly have all of it with good noise cancelling, sturdy battery life, a cushty match and a few sensible audio courtesy of the mix of dynamic and planar magnetic drivers. Some could not like how they give the impression of being, however for those who do, and you have got some spare money to spend on some new noise-cancelling headphones, these ought to be in the direction of the highest of your checklist.
